As a child, I loved, respected, feared my father, but I was also darn enamored with the crying Indian in the Keep America Beautiful ad campaign. Sometimes, I struggled to decide where to throw my allegiance. So that you may understand the conundrum with which my siblings and I grappled for years, I must explain a few things.

Hairspray Jr. might have upbeat music and a positive message, but that’s not what excites members of the Grovetown High School cast the most about their upcoming production.

“This is our first musical, and I’m so excited that I’m playing such a big part in it,” said Casey Andrews, a junior playing the role of Tracy Turnblad in the musical, which is a more family-friendly version of the show Hairspray.